The Auburn School Board has approved changes to the district’s policy on cellphones and similar electronic devices.
At its Tuesday meeting, an amendment to the policy was passed by the board.
The amendment prohibits use by students except when specifically allowed by teachers or administrators, or “when authorized pursuant to an Individual Education Plan (IEP), a Section 504 Accommodation Plan, or a Health Care Plan.”
Consequences for violating the policy will increase depending on the number of violations a student has. For example, upon the first offense, a student may have his or her device taken away for the day and a conference may be set up between the student, parents or guardians, and the school’s principal or assistant principal. A second violation would require a parent or guardian to personally retrieve the device from the school while further violations would lead to further disciplinary action.
Back in July, the board sought the public’s input on changes to the policy after expressing concern over the increasing use of phones by students during the school day.
The board had previously stated that the past policy was difficult to uniformly enforce.
